Fixture and mounting bracket for same



Nov. 24, 1959 D. s. HENNING FIXTURE AND MOUNTING BRACKET FOR SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 7, 1957 INVENTOR. DONALD 5. HENM BY a, 1% a le/4,

D. S. HENNING FIXTURE AND MOUNTING BRACKET FOR SAME Nov. 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 7, 1957 1 7 DONALD S. HENNING a ll .iiim-m United States Patent FIXTURE AND MOUNTING BRACKET FOR SAME Donald S. Henning, Glenview, Ill., assignor to Curtis Lighting, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application June 7, 1957, Serial No. 664,380

7 Claims. (Cl. 248-343) This invention relates to a fixture and more particularly to mounting brackets for a fixture adapted to be mounted in a recess in a ceiling.

The increasing costs of material and labor in building construction has caused modern buildings to be designed with low ceilings. These low ceilings require the ceiling fixtures for supporting the lights, or the ventilating fans, or the loudspeakers and the like to be mounted in recesses so they appear flush with the ceiling surface. There is a considerable variation in the design of ceilings, and so the yokes and support straps used in mounting these fixtures directly on the ceiling had to be specially constructed or modified to conform to the particular ceiling requirements. Furthermore, the installation of fixtures using these yokes and support straps was time consuming and required the services of skilled labor. Fixtures could also be supported by brackets connected to the ceiling furring members, but this again would produce difficulties because of the considerable variation in the shape, composition, and spacing of these members. What is needed, therefore, and comprises the chief object of this invention, is a fixture having mounting brackets which can support the fixture on any kind of furring members in any kind of ceiling.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fixture which can be safely installed in a ceiling in a very short time.

A further object of this invention is to provide a fixture having mounting brackets which are easy to make, economical, and durable, and which provides means for vertical adjustment for leveling from below.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a fixture with mounting brackets which are very simple to operate and which are readily accessible for vertical adjustment of the fixture.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent when read in the light of the accompanying drawings and specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flush-with-the-ceiling mounted light fixture showing its mounting brackets in a folded position;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of a light fixture showing the mounting brackets in an outwardly projecting position in supporting engagement with ceiling furring members;

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the fixture showing the mounting bracket in a folded position against the side of the fixture;

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the fixture showing the mounting bracket in an open outwardly projecting position;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragment of the front elevational view of the fixture showing details of the mounting bracket with greater particularity;

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a portion of the fixture illustrating the sliding movement of the mounting bracket on its surface, and

Figure 7 is a detail of the end view of the mounting 2,914,287 Patented Nov. 24, 1959 ice bracket showing its engagement with the alignment bar, and illustrating the stops for limiting the rotation of the support member to a perpendicular position with respect to the base member.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a fixture indicated generally as 10 is box shaped in the form illustrated, and may be used to support fluorescent lights inside. The fixture includes opposed side or supporting walls 12 and 14 with a connecting top wall 16. A pair of foldable mounting brackets indicated generally as 18 are mounted on the outer surface 20 of each of these opposed supporting walls. As seen in'greater detail in Figures 3 and 4, each mounting bracket 18 is a hinge-like structure and comprises a support plate 22 and a base plate 24. The support and base plates are pivotally connected together at 26 on a pivot rod 28 in a manner well known in the art. This permits the support plate 22 to rotate on the pivot rod from a folded position substantially coextensive with the base plate 24, as seen in Figure 3, to a substantially perpendicular outwardly projecting position as seen in Figure 4. Conventional stop means 30 on the hinge portions of plates 22 and 24 engage each other to prevent the support plate 22 from rotating beyond the perpendicular position as illustrated in Figure 7. A coil spring 32 coaxial with the pivot rod 28 acts between the support and the base plates to urge the support plate to the open outwardly position, for purposes to be described below.

As seen in the drawings, a pair of spaced parallel guide slots 34 are formed in the opposed supporting walls 12 and 14. The base plates 24 are substantially co-extensive and in sliding engagement with the outer surfaces 20 of these opposed supporting walls. The base plates also have a perpendicular guide bar or bolt 36 rigidly secured thereto by welding or other conventional means. This bar has a threaded portion 38 extending through these guide slots, see Figure 5. A wing nut 40 is in threaded engagement with portion 38 of the guide bar and is adapted to engage the inner surface 42 of the opposed end walls to adjustably retain the foldable mounting brackets 18 on the fixture. A holding clip 44 for each mounting bracket is attached to the surface 20 of the supporting walls and is adapted to overlap the folded support plate 22 when the guide bar is at the upper end 35 of the guide slot. In this way the support plate is held in folded position against the action of spring 32. A pair of alignment bars 46, which as shown in Figure 3 comprises an angle iron, are rigidly mounted on the surface 20 of the supporting walls and are in sliding engagement with the pivotal portion 26 of the mounting brackets to prevent them from rotating on the guide bar 36 in slots 34.

In operation, the fixture 10, with the transparent cover 11 and the door frame 13 removed, is inserted in an opening 49 in the ceiling until the fixture flanges 47 are in coextensive engagement with the ceiling 48, see Figure' 2. The mounting brackets are initially clamped by the wing nut 40 to the upper end 35 of slot 34 where the holding clip 44 overlaps the support plate 22 to hold it in folded position, see Figures 1 and 3. When the fixture is in position, the wing nuts 40 are loosened and are used as a handle to move the mounting brackets along the slot 34 until the support plate 22, no longer held in folding position by the action of the holding clips 44, automatically springs open, see Figures 4 and 6. The mounting brackets are further moved down along the slots 34 until the edge 50 of the support plate comes into supporting engagement with the furring members 52, as represented by joists, channel irons, T-bars and the like framing elements, see Figure 2. Then the wing nuts are tightened, clamping the mounting brackets to the supporting walls, and the fixture to the ceiling. As seen in Figure 5, the support plate is made large enough so its edge 50 can overlap all conventional furring members and provide a lip 51 which depends from the end thereof to prevent displacement. This permits the bracket to be used with furring members of all sizes and types.

Furthermore, while the illustrations show the top sur face of the furring member 52 as planar and horizontal, this is not a necessary condition. All that is necessary is that a portion of the edge 50 of each support plate overlap a portion of the furring members and a portion of fixture flanges 47 be in coextensive engagement with the ceiling, see Figure 5. It is apparent therefore that a fixture has been designed with mounting brackets which permit it to be easily, quickly and safely installed in any kind of ceiling, without any special adjustments or modifications.

By way of modification, it will be apparent that the bolt 38 may be formed rigid with the sides 12 and 14 in position to extend through an aligned vertical slot in the plate 24. The wing nut 40 could then be manipulated from the outside of the fixture, where accessible to enable vertical adjustment of the bracket 18.

The invention may be embodied in other forms wifhout departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof as set forth in the claims, and the present embodiment is therefore to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and is intended to include all changes which come within the scope and range of the claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus of the class described comprising spaced frame supports adapted to support appliances therebetween, at least one foldable mounting bracket movably mounted on each of said frame supports, each of said foldable mounting brackets including a support plate, means pivotally mounting said support plate to said frame support and movable between a folded position substantially coextensive with the surface of said frame support and an open outwardly projecting position, guide elements on each of said frame supports and each of said foldable mounting brackets in engagement with each other to control the movement of each mounting bracket on each frame support, and means for opening said support plate from the folded position to the open position whereby the support plate is adapted to be in supporting engagement with a fixed support to mount said frame supports thereon.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising spaced frame supports adapted to support appliances therebetween, said frame supports having opposed surfaces, at least one foldable mounting bracket movably mounted on one of the opposed surfaces of each frame support, each of said foldable mounting brackets including a support plate, means for mounting the support plate for pivotal movement between a folded position substantially coextensive with said one surface of said frame support and an open outwardly projecting position, guide elements on each of said frame supports and each of said foldable mounting brackets, said guide elements in en= gagement with each other to guide the movement of each mounting bracket on said one surface of each frame support, and actuating means on the other of said opposed surfaces on each frame support, said actuating means connected to said support plate for moving and opening said supportplate from its folded position on the opposite surface of said frame support to its open position whereby the support plate is adapted to be in supporting engagement with'a fixed support to mount said frame supports thereon.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising spaced frame supports adapted to support appliances therebetween, said frame supports having opposed surfaces, at least one foldable mounting bracket movably mounted on one of the opposed-surfaces of each frame support, each of said foldable mounting brackets including a support plate, means pivotally mounting saidsupport plate for pivotal movement between a folded position substantially coextensive with said one surface of said frame support and an open outwardly projecting position, means connected to said support plate and said frame support for urging said support plate to the open position, holding means engaging said support plate holding it in said folded position, guide elements on each of said frame supports and each of said foldable mounting brackets, said guide elements in engagement with each other to guide the movement of each mounting bracket on said one surface of each frame support, and actuating means on the other of said opposed surfaces on each frame support, said actuating means connected to said support plate for moving said support plate from said holding means permitting it to automatically move from its folded position on the opposite surface of said frame support to its open position whereby the support plate is adapted to be in supporting engagement with a fixed support to mount said frame supports thereon.

4. An apparatus of the class described comprising spaced frame supports adapted to support appliances therebetween, said frame supports having opposed surfaces, at least one foldable mounting bracket movably mounted on one of the opposed surfaces of each frame support, each of said foldable mounting brackets including a support plate, means pivotally mounting said support plate for pivotal movement between a folded position substantially coextensive with said one surface of said frame support and an open outwardly projecting position, at least one guide slot in each of said frame supports, guide means connected to each support plate having a portion extending through said guide slot to guide the support plate on said one surface of each frame support, and actuating means on the other of said opposed surfaces on each frame support, said actuating means in engagement with said portion of said guide means extending through guide slot in said frame supports for moving and opening said support plate from its folded position on the opposite surface of said frame support to its open position whereby the support plate is adapted to be in supporting engagement with a fixed support to mount said frame supports thereon.

5. An apparatus of the class described comprising spaced frame supports adapted to support appliances therebetween, said frame supports having opposed surfaces, at least one foldable mounting bracket movably mounted on one of the opposed surfaces of each frame support, each of said foldable mounting brackets including a support plate and a base plate, said support plate pivotally connected to said base plate and movable between a folded position substantially coextensive with said base plate and an open outwardly projecting position, said base plate slidably coextensive with said one surface of said frame support, at least one guide slot in each of said frame supports, a guide bar connected to each of'said base' plates, said guide bar having a portion extending through said guide slot to guide said foldable mounting bracket on said one surface of each frame support, and actuating means on the other of said opposed surfaces of each frame support, said actuating means in engagement with said portion of the guide bar extending through the guide slot in said frame supports for moving said foldable bracket on said one surface and opening said support plate from its folded position coextensive with said base plate to its'open position whereby the support plate is adapted to be in supporting engagement with a fixed support to mount said frame supports thereon.

6. An apparatus of the class described comprising spaced frame supports adapted to support appliances therebetween, said frame supports having opposed surfaces at least one foldable mounting bracket movably mounted on one of the opposed surfaces of each frame support, each of said foldable mounting brackets including a support plate and a base plate, said support plate pivotally connected to said base plate and movable between a folded position substantially coextensive with said base plate and an open outwardly projecting position, spring means acting between said support plate and said base plate for urging said support plate in the open outwardly projecting position, said base plate slidably coextensive with said one surface of said frame support, at least one guide slot in each of said frame supports, a guide bar connected to each of said base plates, said guide bar having a portion extending through said guide slot to guide foldable mounting bracket on said one surface of each frame support, holding means associated with said frame support in engagement with said support plate for holding said support plate in folded position against the action of the spring means, and actuating means on the other of said opposed surfaces of each frame support, said actuating means in engagement with said portion of the guide bar extending through the guide slot in said frame supports for moving said extensible bracket on said one surface out of engagement with said holding means, permitting the support plate to spring Into its open position whereby the support plate is adapted to be in supporting engagement with a fixed support to mount said frame supports thereon.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim 6 including at least one alignment bar rigidly secured to said one surface of References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,715,590 Burhenne June 4, 1929 1,818,317 Gilmore Aug. 11, 1931 2,286,898 Cover June 16, 1942 

